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Tire service life
The service life of tires depends on a lot of
different things including proper installation
and balancing, correct tire pressure and driv
ing style.
Fig. 154 Tire tread: tread wea r in dica tors (TWI)
Fig. 155 Rotating t ires for more even wea r
Tread Wear Indicator (TWI)
The original tires on your veh icle have
1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high "wear indicators"
r::!;> fig. 154 run ning across the tread. Depend
ing on the make, there will be six to eight of
them evenly p laced around the tire . Marks on
the t ire s idewall (for example "TWI" or other
symbols) indicate the positions of the tread
wear ind icators . Worn t ires must be replaced.
Different figures may apply in other countries
r::!) &.
Tire pressure
Incorrect tire pressure causes premature wear
and can cause sudden tir e blow-out . For this
reason, tire pressure must be checked at least
once a month
r::!;> page 201.
Driving style
Driving fast around curves , heavy acceleration
and hard braking increase tire wear.
Tires and wheels 205
Rotating tires for more even wear
For all four tires on your vehicle to have the
same service life, we recommend that the
front and rear tires are rotated according to
the tire manufacturer 's suggested tire rota
tion inte rvals. Please remember the follow
ing :
- Tire rotation intervals may differ from the
vehicle service interva ls o utlined in your
Ma intenance and Warranty Booklet.
- The longer one tire is used in one location
on the vehicle, the more it wears at certain
points ; therefore, we recommend that you
follow the tire manufactu rer 's suggested
tire rotation intervals .
- Vehicles w ith front-wheel dr ive exper ience
more tread wear on the front wheels com
pared to all w heel drive (quattro) .
- Please rotate tires as shown
r::!;> fig. 155.
-Extra care must be taken when rotating di-
rection-specific tires
r::!;> page 223 .
Wheel balancing
The wheels on new veh icles are balanced .
However, various situations during everyday
driving can cause them to become unba l
anced, resulting in vibrations you can usually
feel through the steer ing wheel.
Unbalanced wheels must be rebalanced to
avoid excessive wear on steering, s uspension
and t ires. A whee l must also be reba lanced
when a new tire is insta lled.
Incorrect wheel alignment
Incorrect wheel alignment can cause exces
sive tire wear, impairing the safety of the vehi
cle . If tires show excessive wear, have the
whee l alignment checked by an authori zed
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
All wheel drive
Vehicles wi th quattro must always have tires
of the same size, construction and tread type.
For details
see r::!) page 158. 111>
222 What do I do now?
-If work has to be done under the vehi
cle , ensure that it is safely supported
on suitable stands -risk of injury!
- Never start the engine when the vehi
cle is on the jack -risk of accident!
CD Note
Do not lift the vehicle by the si ll. Position
the vehicle jack only at the designated lift
ing points on the sill. Otherwise, your vehi
cle will be damaged.
Taking the wheel off/installing the spare
tire
Follow these instructions step-by-step for
changing the wheel.
Fig. 167 Changing a whee l: u sing the hexago nal socket
(w ith the blade removed) to turn the bolts
Fig. 168 Changing a w hee l: a lignm en t pi n inside the
top hole
After you have loosened a ll wheel bolts and
ra ised the veh icle off the ground, remove and
replace the wheel as follows:
Removing the wheel
> Remove the topmost wheel bolt completely
with the
hexagonal socket in the screwdriv
er handle (vehicle tool kit)
r=;; fig. 167 and
set it as ide on a
clean su rface. >
Screw the threaded end of the
alignment
pin
from the tool kit hand-tight into the
empty bolt hole
¢ fig. 168 .
... Then remove the other whee l bolts as de
scribed above.
> Takeoff the whee l leaving the alignment pin
in the bolt hole
r=;; (D.
Putting on the spare tire
... Push the spare tire over the alignment pin
¢ CD.
... Screw on the wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly using the hexagonal socket .
> Remove the alignment pin and insert and
tighten the remaining wheel bolt slightly
like the rest.
... Turn the jack handle counter -clockwise to
lower the veh icle until the jack is fully re
leased .
... Use the wheel bolt wrench to tighten all
wheel bo lts firm ly. Tighten them
in a criss
cross pattern,
from one bolt to the (approx i
mately) oppos ite one, to keep the wheel
centered.
> Perform the steps required after changing
the wheel
¢ page 219, After changing a
wheel.
A WARNING
-
Do not use the hexagonal socket in the
screwdriver hand le to tighten the whee l
bolts. It is not possible to tighten the bolts
to the required torque using the hexagonal
socket - risk of accident!
CD Note
When removing or installing the whee l,
the rim cou ld hit the brake rotor and dam
age the rotor. Work carefu lly and have a
second person to help you.
(D Tips
-When mount ing tires with unidirectional
tread design
make sure the tread pat
tern is po inted the right way
r=;;page223.
- The wheel bolts shou ld be clean and easy
to turn. Check for dirt and corrosion on
